Manchester Airport charges slammed in parliament

A Greater Manchester MP has blasted Manchester Airport’s ‘unfair’ and ‘unreasonable’ drop-off charges in parliament.

Jim McMahon MP raised the issue at a special debate in Westminster Hall on Tuesday, January 13, warning ‘Manchester shouldn’t become like Gatwick’.

The Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton representative criticised the airport for ‘very high charges for short stays that catch drivers out, confusing signage and road layouts, and limited payment methods’. 

The airport currently charges £5 for a five minute drop-off, and £6.40 for 10 minutes, while those who take up to 30 minutes must pay £25. But drivers can be hit with a £100 penalty fine if they overshoot their window. 

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport claimed the system is necessary to manage traffic flow. 

Mr McMahon said: “For far too many people who experience Manchester Airport, the system isn’t one of fairness. For the sake of a £5 fee for a low wage worker, the penalty could be a full day’s wage. Is it a fair penalty to say to somebody: for going over by a minute, we’re going to take away a day’s pay? Most people would say that’s not a fair response.

“Manchester should not follow the route of Gatwick Airport and go from £5 to £10 – or even close to it. The idea that an airport charges £10 to drop off I think for most people would be completely unreasonable and unfair.” 

The Oldham MP also slammed the current payment arrangement, which requires drivers to pay via an app within 24 hours, suggesting the airport install an alternative ‘tap-in’ system that takes payment straight away. 

Mr McMahon has written to all 10 Greater Manchester councils, who are shareholders of Manchester Airport Group, asking them to back a campaign calling for changes. 

It’s not the first time the airport has come under fire from a Greater Manchester MP. Bury North MP James Frith previously criticised the airport for ‘penalising genuine mistakes rather than deliberate misuse’ after their new barrier-less drop-off system.

In a letter to airport bosses in September last year, Bury North MP James Frith said the new system introduced in 2025, was ‘confusing’ and ‘may be designed in a way that exploits human error’.

Responding to the critiques, a Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “Dropping passengers off at Manchester Airport is free if drivers use the drop-off area at JetParks One. This is served by regular shuttle buses that take passengers to the doors of our terminals in just a few minutes.

“For those that want to be able to drop passengers off on our forecourts, we offer a service that lets drivers pay £5 for five minutes. This is cheaper than is offered at most comparably sized airports and our analysis shows it allows most people more than enough time to drop passengers off, thanks to our barrierless exits which remove bottlenecks. People can, however, stay for longer at a small extra charge – that rate is also cheaper than at most comparable airports.

“Space in our drop-off and pick-up zones is finite so charging to use them helps make sure they are available to people who need them and function efficiently while also helping us manage traffic on our road network.”